Hallmark Channel’s 2025 Summer Nights movie event officially comes to a close with the seventh and final film of the series, Catch of the Day. Starring Emilie Ullerup and Michael Rady, this romantic-comedy movie looks to end your summer streaming with Hallmark on a satisfying note as it tells the story of a successful fine dining chef in New York City who returns to her hometown of Montauk to help save her family’s restaurant by the 4th of July, only to fall for an old flame who makes her question her current path in life and love. There are some universal themes of family, friendship, and following your heart, but is it enough to make this title worth watching? Keep reading to find out!
The Gist: Sophie Monahan (Emilie Ullerup) is an ambitious and hardworking (bordering on workaholic) chef at a high-end restaurant in New York City. After a positive review of the establishment leads the warm head chef, William (Everick Golding), and demanding owner, Evelyn (Sharon Crandall), to promote Sophie to sous chef, Sophie seems to finally be on track to her long-held dream of becoming executive chef by age 40. However, a call from Sophie’s older sister, Abigail Monahan (Alison Wandzura), just might change the entire trajectory of Sophie’s life and career, as Abigail begs Sophie to return home to Montauk to help keep their struggling family restaurant, The Slack Tide, afloat.
For the first time since Christmas, Sophie returns home and has just 10 days to help Abigail change The Slack Tide’s fortunes for the better. While the restaurant saw success when run by their father, since he died three years ago, the establishment has only fared increasingly poorly in the face of growing demands from tourists and waning visits from locals, forcing Abigail to consider selling the place entirely. Determined to save the restaurant and its family memories that helped inspire her to become a chef in the first place, Sophie draws up an ambitious plan to completely revitalize The Slack Tide with a new and improved menu, social media presence, and staffing situation. But in her well-meaning yet slightly meddlesome attempts to shake things up, Sophie causes a bit of friction with her sister, who had been trying her best to hold down the fort even before Sophie’s influence, all while trying to still balance life and quality time with her husband, Rick (Casey Manderson), and their two young daughters Mia (Layla Verreault) and Charlotte (Scarlett Kennedy).
Sophie’s time home is further complicated by an early run-in with an old school crush, fisherman Cam Easton (Michael Rady), who kissed her in the 7th grade before promptly ignoring her for the rest of their school years. Apparently, their time apart has made it easier for him to apologize and communicate, but it hasn’t done much to dim their feelings for one another. As Cam and Sophie’s paths continue to cross, they fall for each other all over again, but a sudden job opportunity for Sophie as a potential executive chef in Las Vegas threatens to tear down the foundation of this budding relationship. Can Sophie do her family proud while finding love and career fulfillment in the process? Or is the pursuit of her dreams worth leaving the people she cares about most behind in Montauk?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Catch of the Day has some of the wholesome chef rom-com aspects of the 2007 film No Reservations, plus a dash of Sweet Home Alabama‘s “successful woman in New York City returns to hometown and falls for an old flame” storyline.
Performance Worth Watching: Emilie Ullerup brings so much joy, enthusiasm, and humor as Sophie that I really couldn’t help but be charmed by her pretty much from the start. She does a wonderful job leading Catch of the Day with the earnest energy that you hope to find in any good Hallmark rom-com, and I think that the entire movie benefits from it.
Memorable Dialogue: I enjoyed the tongue-twister quality of Abigail’s line: “Come on, has the New York smog fogged your brain?”
Honorable mention for Cam’s wistful statement early in the movie, “Happy wife, happy life… Or so I’ve heard.” This guy isn’t even trying to be subtle, and you know what, I respect it.
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: Bolstered by beautiful shots of Montauk (is this movie an ad for Montauk tourism? Because I think it worked on me), mouth-watering moments of incredible cooking, and solid acting performances across the board, Catch of the Day is an easy and entertaining watch perfect for some simple Labor Day weekend streaming. From top to bottom, the cast has strong chemistry with one another, giving the movie a feeling as warm and communal as any good family restaurant’s kitchen.
Emilie Ullerup and Michael Rady do a wonderful job steering the ship as romantic leads Sophie and Cam, whose connection is almost as satisfying as their characters’ strong communication skills. I seriously can’t overstate how nice it is to have leads that can own up to their faults, apologize when it’s warranted, and have open, honest conversations like adults. It made it that much easier to root for them both as individuals and as a couple, and also was a breath of fresh air to see in a rom-com genre where the trope of miscommunication is often overused and frustrating to behold.
But beyond romance, the emotional core of Catch of the Day is the universal and timeless theme of family, and this also elevates the movie to greater heights. Witnessing the genuine sisterly bond between Sophie and Abigail, or Sophie’s attempts to make up for her absence by spending quality time with her nieces, or multiple characters’ feelings of regret and guilt in regards to family are all extremely understandable and human. These moments add depth and color to the world of Catch of the Day, so that even when the ending feels predictable (and admittedly potentially unsatisfying to some), the movie is still ultimately interesting, engaging, and affecting.
Our Call: Catch of the Day will make a pleasant, breezy, and surprisingly effective end to your summer streaming with Hallmark. Enjoy its sometimes schmaltzy sweetness with a dash of grounded family realness and STREAM IT!